The London Venture

The book starts with Arlen, having grown tired of London, leaving that city for an extended period in some other British town. As soon as he leaves the metropolis, however, he yearns to return and his yearning prompts him to put pen to paper. His intention is to write an essay on London, but he soon fails in this simple task and instead produces a stream of consciousness piece reminiscing about three old acquaintances. One, perhaps two, are already dead. Another is now living in a distant land and is just as unreachable. All three acquaintances are mixed up with memories of the city, so maybe this is a book about London after all. (Excerpt from Goodreads)